1. Indianapolis Andrew Luck* QB Stanford 6040 234 4.67
Junior entry. Improved in all phases of his game in 2011 including ball placement, touch, accuracy moving left, play action fakes, and his ability to process information quickly. The Colts by rule can start negotiating a contract as early as Friday 2/24/12

2. Washington Robert Griffin III* QB Baylor 6023 223 4.41
St. Louis trades with Washington for a switch of # 1s in this draft, Redskins 2nd rd this draft and the Redskins 1st in 2013 & 2014 .RG III is a polished passer with good arm strength. He possesses good footwork and balance in the pocket with the ability to create and extend plays.

3. Minnesota Matt Kalil* LOT USC 6065 306 4.99
Was voted the Morris Award in the Pac-10. The Morris Award is unique in that it is earned by a vote of the league’s defensive linemen. Kalil is the younger brother of the Panthers’ Ryan Kalil. The rangy knee bending left tackle also blocked two field goals and two PATs this fall. Ponder must be protected. Frazier is a former secondary player & coach and he sees Claiborne as a matchup corner for their NFC North division of Greg Jennings/Green Bay,Brandon Marshall/Chicago and Megatron/Detroit can't blame him but a left tackle overrides a corner....

4. Cleveland Trent Richardson* RB Alabama 5092 228 4.48
Richardson is a powerful back who presses the hole with balance and a strong lower body. He regularly breaks the first tackle attempt. Total package of running skills, receiving ability, and blocking courage. Has recent minor surgery on knee. Brown's new Offensive Coordinator Brad Childress drafted Adrian Peterson at Minnesota. NO Combine workout.

5. Tampa Bay Morris Claiborne* DC LSU 5111 188 4.52
Claiborne is physical in man to man coverage. Elevated his game during his junior year playing opposite sophomore sensation Tyrann Mathieu. Plays the ball in the air. Athletic with with good ball skills.One of the top 6 players in this draft.

6. St. Louis Justin Blackmon* WR Oklahoma State 6010 215 4.46
Blackmon is a physical and athletic receiver who has big play DNA.Has the ability and desire to reach, extend, and lay out for the ball. A clutch receiver who is dynamic with the ball in his hands. Has had problems in some games with drops and ball security.

7. Jacksonville Fletcher Cox* DE/DT Mississippi State 6040 298 4.77
Junior entry. Explosive up field player that can play both DT and DE.He collected 56 tackles including 14.5 for losses,five sacks and 3 QB hurries Outstanding Combine workout where he rated 4th out of 27 defensive tackles.Almost beat Poe by a second in the 3 cone drill. 7.07 to 7.90.

8. Miami Riley Reiff* OT Iowa 6056 313 5.16
Reiff is a fundamentally sound technician who gives a consistent effort week after week. A physical player who uses his hands effectively and plays with a good base.The Dolphins may try to move up for a QB. A free agent QB remains a strong possibility. Jake Long is in the last year of his contract. If the Fins fail to resign him Reiff moves over to left tackle.

9. Carolina Quinton Coples DE North Carolina 6056 284 4.75
WE like Coples best inside where he looked strong as a junior. 2 for 1 guy. Has the flexibility to play as an end in the 4-3 or five technique in a 3-4 scheme. SENIOR BOWL NOTES: 6056, 281,hands 10 1/8”, arms 33 ¼”, wing span 80 ¼”. Possesses an immense amount of talent, but switches his ability off and on. Appears lackadaisical and loses focus at times. Consistently has a breakdown in fundamentals. Everything is a flash. He fails to use his skills and explosiveness every down. Tendency to get inopportune penalties. Question instincts and awareness at times. Lacks a sense of urgency. Plays when he wants to.

10. Buffalo Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame 6025 220 4.45
Floyd, a power player similar to Terrell Owens in his play but faster. Excellent ball skills, hand catching ability, and run after catch power. Best value on the board.OT , DE and DC are other options. Floyd caught 271 passes in his career. He was the best football player each of his 4 years at Notre Dame.

11. Kansas City Luke Kuechly* IB Boston College 6032 242 4.59
.Sometimes the term tackling machine can be overstated, but not in the case of Kuechly (Keekly). He made 191 tackles in 2011 averaging 15.9 tackles per game. Intense, focused, and instinctive. Kuechly will make up in his ability to read and react any questions about his 40 time. He is always waiting at the pass for the ball carrier. A 3 down linebacker.

12. Seattle Andre Branch OB/DE Clemson 6042 259 4.67
Branch has good use of hands,arms, and leverage at the point of attack. Sudden first step. He was clocked in a 1.60/10 at the Combine. Uses a variety of pass rush moves. Disruptive. Seahawks may take David DeCastro to bolster line.

13. Arizona Jonathan Martin* OT Stanford 6053 312 5.10
Jonathan Martin pops his hands up quickly and locks onto the breast plate of a defender. Plays square in pass protection and is physical on down blocks. He is an ascending player that is alert and athletic coming from a pro scheme in college where he played with his hand in the dirt. Levi Brown was resigned but the right tackle is a turnstile for pass rushers. A 4 for one player.

14. Dallas David DeCastro* OG Stanford 6047 316 5.32
DeCastro is the best guard we've evaluated since Steve Hutchinson in 2001. DeCastro is intense, explosive, patient, and has excellent recoverability in pass protection. Jerry Jones brought in Bill Callahan to coordinate the running game offense. DeCastro helps solidify the line in pass protection and in the running game. The Cowboys have signed two free agent journeymen guards but Callahan may consider moving DeCastro to center...he developed Nick Mangold into an all pro for the Jets.

15. Philadelphia Michael Brockers* DT LSU 6050 322 5.00
Brockers will help get push up the middle to force the ball to the edges . Red shirt soph.Started 14 games in his career. In 2011 had 9.5 tackles for loss.He had 6 tackles in the SEC Championship game vs Georgia

Just a quick flashback to see that Whitney Mercilus was in fact considered a top 20 pick by many respected draft sites. How he slipped to #26 was like a perfect storm for the Texans, hence the recent article in the Chron by John McClain - http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans...-olb-mercilus/

Quote:

After watching outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus make an outstanding debut in the 26-13 preseason victory at Carolina, Texans general manager Rick Smith and coach Gary Kubiak must have felt like they hit the lottery with their first-round draft choice
Before the draft, Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith said privately they would love to be able to draft Mercilus and let Phillips and Herring turn him into a pass-rushing outside linebacker in their 3-4. But Smith and Kubiak both said they didn’t think Mercilus would be available when they made the 26th pick in the first round. Smith even considered trying to trade up to get Mercilus, but he didn’t want to sacrifice his precious draft choices